Your Guide To The Perfect Photographer Bio Picture

I’ve done them all, from the “I’m not a photographer, I’m a witness” bio picture to the “check out how cool my life is” bio shot. Below is your guide to having the best bio picture for social media to represent who you are as a photographer.

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER/PERSONAL PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHER

VERSION 1

First things first you must go with black and white, this isn’t negotiable. Go for moody light, window light will do, harsh shadows and crazy exposures are welcomed.

Don’t smile at all, you need to be serious and in deep thought to show your serious and somewhat sensitive side. Adding a scarf will definitely up your game.

If you need more references please go to the Magnum website, they are the Magnum of this genre of photography biopics.

Version 2

You at your exhibition wearing a vintage camera are also permissible if you are early on in your career.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You need to showcase that you’re work is more important than you. You don’t care about the money or the fame; it’s all about telling stories. Yes your introduction to your personal project is 90% about you and you past and your thoughts and 10% about the actual story but that shouldn’t come through in your bio picture.

SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

You on set with loads of gear and assistants everywhere. Be sure to look like you’re in control and that there is lots going on.

Version 2

Any picture of yourself with lots of obvious Photoshop, use this bio pictures to showcase your retouching skills.

Version 3

A picture of all your gear laid out at your studio, at the airport, or in the back of a van. The more gear the better, if you need to rent extra gear just for the shot it’s worth it, more is better.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You need to show that you do big shoots for big clients. The more gear, models, assistants you have the more successful you will look.

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

Looking straight into the camera using lighting equipment but hold on, wait for it, this might seem unconventional but you have to have the lighting gear in the frame. Your mind might be blown here but trust me it works.

FUN LOVING WHIMSICAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

You have to be in a remote village somewhere, that’s obvious. Surround yourself with children and all of you must be looking at the camera smiling. Make sure only local people are in your shot; if your friend of the same ethnicity is in your shot your image is a failure. You have to create the illusion that this is the first time this village has seen foreigners before. Mention in your caption how hard it was to get to the place you’re in.

Version 2

Similar to version 1 except instead of all of you looking at the camera, all the village children need to be looking at your LCD screen, creating the scenario that this is the first time the children have ever seen a digital camera.

Version 3

You are wearing some sort of local costume and you look silly in it.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

Your picture has to so say, “hey, wow this guy/gal has a cool job and gets to do cool things.” You want to make your friends who work in office buildings hate their life.

FINE-ART PHOTOGRAPHER

Don’t show your face at all, your bio pic is one of your images, any exception to the rule. You don’t want to be known; it’s all about your work.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You’re a struggling artist who doesn’t care about money or fame but really you care about money and fame, but you don’t care about money or fame.

THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

The industry standard here is wearing all your cameras in between a bride and groom making a silly face.

Version 2

A picture of your wedding day if you’re married or a family portrait of your family hoping that the bride and groom think “oh see he/she gets us because his/she is married.”

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

Wow, that photographer is so fun and hey look his clients love him/her because they are smiling and in the shot with him/her. Or hey that person has been married so they must know what they are doing.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

You must be in a picturesque area, think mountains, waterfalls, rainbows and such. You absolutely must have a tripod in the picture and bonus points if you are in extreme weather conditions.

Version 2

You next to an exotic animal in nature.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

Whoa, that person takes pictures in extreme conditions and they are pretty extreme. Captions shouldn’t have to portray that it was really cold that day in Antarctica, the picture should do so.

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

You and a drone, done.

Version 2

Selfie taken with the drone, done.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You take pictures using drones.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

Black and white, a little motion blur, of you with a small camera (preferably a vintage film camera but micro 4 3rds will do) on the streets somewhere. Don’t you dare have a large backpack and multiple lenses or you’ll be laughed out of town.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You’re not dependent on gear; you basically just wander the streets with vintage cameras and capture moments. It’s all about old vintage gear and moment catching and letting life unfold on it’s own.

HARD CORE WIRE PHOTOGRAPHER

You must be in a situation where spot news is going on all around you, protests are typically the go to, and you have to be serious with lots of cameras on. This last part is key, if you don’t have lots of ID tags on you’ve failed completely, please try again.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You live life on the edge and when the crowd runs away from the action, you run towards it. You don’t want to talk about it but yes you want to talk about it.

CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER

You wearing your camera standing next to the most famous person you’ve photographed.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You are cool because the people you photograph are cool, other photographers should be jealous of your bio pic.

Extreme Photographer

Exotic modes of transportation are must, the Rolls Royce of shots here is the helicopter shot but I’ll also accept being on the back of a motorcycle, in a jeep, or any sort of ATV. The helicopter shot is also applicable to Successful Commercial Photographer and Wire Photographer. You should be wearing a trucker hat and extreme accessories.

Version 2

A fisheye lens selfie at some extreme sports arena or area.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You shoot extreme and shoot really wide and you too also like to participate in extreme sports.

The Can’t Go Wrong

If you are confused or nervous about which one of these is right for you don’t worry. You can’t wrong with the old faithful you taking a picture of someone; to add a little spice to it you should be in a weird position like on the ground or in a tree.

The Photography Instructor/ TV Personality Photographer

Version 1

You on stage giving a talk or out in the field somewhere surrounded by a bunch of students. You should be explaining something and your audience should look intrigued.

Version 2

Posters of yourself or you being interviewed on TV. These need to be accompanied by self-deprecating captions as to not make you look narcissistic. “Oh man, I look so stupid being interviewed, or wow I hate being on this side of the camera it’s so weird for me.”

Version 3

It's really cocky, but an icon of yourself.

Version 4

Even cockier than the icon, you on a billboard or a bus.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

You need people to know you are famous and that you draw a crowd but you can’t act as if you enjoy the fame or that you know your famous, this is key.

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER

Version 1

Your best action shot, that’s it.

Version 2

You at a large sports arena with all your gear and ID tags.

Version 3

You with a famous athlete

What you want to achieve

You need people to know you photograph sports.

The Can’t Go Wrong

If you are confused or nervous about which one of these is right for you don’t worry. You can’t wrong with the old faithful of you taking a picture of someone; to add a little spice to it you should be in a weird position like on the ground or in a tree.